Kleindeutschland
by ChickWithThePurpleGuitar
Summary: 5 years Post-Goliath. Alek and Deryn, now officially Mrs. Hohenberg, have started a new life together within the workings of the London Zoological Society. But when a seemingly simple mission goes wrong, they're thrust into the possible beginnings of yet another war, and it's no longer just their countries that hang in the balance. Cowrite with The Queen of Valencia Torgue.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello, all! Long time no see for many of you cause I suck at updating my fics. This fic, however, is already finished, so I can actually update it once a week instead of abandoning it for months at a time, so get excited about that! For the last two months or so, I've been writing this with my lovely friend The Queen of Valencia Torgue, who is leaving for a super long trip tomorrow! So I wanted to get this up and get the fic going so that (hopefully) she could see some nice reviews before she leaves (*innocent grin*)**

 **So yeah, this takes place about five years after Goliath. French and German come straight from Google Translate so sorry if they're hella wrong. Translations are listed at the bottom. Hope you guys like this, next chapter will be up next Sunday. Please review!**

* * *

Chapter One

Sometimes it feels like Alek's life has gone by really fast.

It wasn't like that when he was younger, he remembers quite clearly. Growing up being basically told that he had no greater purpose in life had made every day achingly slow as he longed for an adulthood where he could take control of his own life and escape the destiny Fate had given him.

The month and a half he'd spent in a Stormwalker running off to Switzerland had been some of the longest nights of his life.

Everything seemed to change, though, when he met Deryn Sharp.

Deryn made it a mission in life to never do anything at less than full speed, and she had dragged Alek along with her, every day, starting with that first night when her ship crashed in the snow. His life's been fast-paced ever since. Sometimes Alek finds himself wishing he had more time on the _Leviathan_ , more time as a daft prince blindly following Providence around the world. Sometimes he just wishes his life would slow down a little.

But then he remembers it's speed that brought him to Deryn, saved him from another sheltered life in a castle. It's speed that got him married at nineteen and thrust into a world of science and secrets.

Unfortunately, it's also speed that's gotten him here- standing in the doorway of a large, golden ballroom with Dr. Barlow and Count Volger on either side of him, wearing a brand new suit with a knife hidden in his jacket, a fabricated worm curled up inside his ear, serving as a communication link between him and his team, including Deryn, standing watch somewhere within the innards of the hotel.

He's gotten used to such strange creatures over the years, and yet his stomach coils with nerves. He tries to convince himself that it's not because he's going into this mission without Deryn by his side.

Although he supposes it's feelings like these that caused Dr. Barlow to give Alek and Deryn such separated jobs in the first place- it's not safe for them to get _too_ codependent of each other.

Alek half-listens as the servants announce their presence, holds back his laugh at the fake name the Society has given him (Alexander Worthingsworth, and he's glad Dr. Barlow's trained him to mask his Clanker accent because that sure is a British name if he's ever heard one), and moves across the floor by instinct, separating himself from Dr. Barlow and the count in order to slip through the crowd.

"Do you see her?" he asks under his breath, scanning ahead for his target.

"Aye, she's by the far wall, dancing with some French bloke," Deryn's voice reports in his ear, her Scottish lilt calming Alek's nerves just by itself.

He wonders where she is that lets her see so well without being in the room with him, but Dr. Barlow was insistent on keeping their exact orders from each other, in case things go pear-shaped, as Deryn likes to say. All he knows is she's supposed to keep a lookout while he seduces some debutant and gets access to her father's vault so Barlow and Volger can come in later tonight and steal back the encoded plans for a new military fabrication that had been taken from Buckingham Palace only a few days ago.

Of course, Alek doesn't know what the new creature is, what it's supposed to do, or why anyone would be stupid enough to steal from the Darwinists when they just _won_ a war, but no one seems to want to tell him anything, save for that this mission is important.

And he's always been one to follow orders, when they suit him, so he goes along with it.

"Of course, she's barking gorgeous," Deryn grumbles in his ear, making Alek hold back a laugh as his own eyes fall on the girl whose picture he's been staring at for days.

The pictures definitely don't do her justice, but he wouldn't call her gorgeous- especially compared to his wife. He says as much, and can practically hear Deryn roll her eyes at him.

"Can both of you please stay focused?" Dr. Barlow's voice chides them.

Still, Alek allows himself a smile that he hopes Deryn can see before he slips further into the crowd.

* * *

"Elisabeth Devereaux" is supposedly the daughter of a French aristocrat stationed in England to help build relationships between the Darwinist countries. But Society knowledge has informed them that she's actually the daughter of an old Austrian military official, serving as a German spy. From what Alek can tell from the limited information he has on Franziska von Schnauz, she's not extremely interested in her father's ploys, meaning it shouldn't be hard convincing her to help him out.

Alek gently approaches her, laying a hand on her dance partner's arm and asking, " _Puis-je couper en?",_ hoping his Clanker accent isn't as evident in his French as it once was.

The Frenchman smiles and nods, kissing Franziska's hand before departing into the crowd. Alek takes his place and position, resting his right hand at the small of her back and grasping her right hand with his left, then lets his instincts take over, gliding across the floor with her as Dr. Barlow whispers reminders of his orders in his ear.

Of course, Alek knows exactly what he's supposed to do. Convince the girl to leave the hotel with him, show her the sights of London or whatever (not that Alek knows them much better than she does, even after all these years), capture enough of her heart to get her to tell him the location of her father's hiding place for the plans, and then knock her out and let Deryn, Volger, and Dr. Barlow take care of the rest. Not the nicest of plans, in Alek's own personal opinion, but Dr. Barlow's certain it's the one that will work.

" _Je ne crois pas que nous avons avant_ ," Franziska flirts smoothly, offering Alek a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. " _Je m'appelle Elisabeth Devereaux._ "

"Alexander Worthingsworth," Alek returns, letting his fake British accent bleed into the name, letting the girl know what side he's on now that he's not speaking French. "A pleasure to meet you, _mademoiselle_."

"She's good," Count Volger murmurs, and Alek can't tell if he's warning him or simply commenting. Knowing Volger, it's probably the former. "Not a hint of German in that accent."

 _That's the idea_ , Alek thinks, noting bitterly that the count says nothing about _his_ accent, but pushes his thoughts aside, turning his attention back to the girl in front of him.

"I must thank you for coming," Franziska says, her English hesitant but her accent completely French. "I love being able to meet new people native to this wonderful country."

Alek resists the urge to roll his eyes at the irony, even as Deryn snorts in his ear.

"I'm glad I can welcome you here," he lies, offering Franziska a (hopefully) genuine (-looking) smile. "In fact, perhaps when your guests have left for the night, you'll allow me to show you around the city a bit."

Franziska's polite smile freezes, the slightest bit of tension appearing in her back, where Alek still has his hand as they dance. His trained eyes note a wariness in her gaze that makes him think, for half a second, that his cover's been blown.

The comms have been silent for a while now, meaning Deryn's off somewhere focusing on her own mission, but Alek can see Barlow and Volger watching him out of the corner of his eye, staying silent in case Franziska really is attuned to their plans, but giving him warning looks from across the room.

But then Franziska relaxes, giving Alek an apologetic smile. " _Je regrette, Monsieur Alexander. Mais mon père ne voulait pas me quitter l'hôtel sans lui_."

Without warning, Franziska suddenly steps closer, pulling Alek towards her so that their faces are inches apart. Alek stumbles, but manages to keep them dancing, his eyes wide. He dares to hope his ears haven't turned red.

" _Ce que tu_ -" he starts to say, but she cuts him off, switching effortlessly to her heavily accented English.

"I would, however, love to spend some more time with you. Perhaps, in a more private setting?"

"Be careful, Alek," Dr. Barlow warns in his ear. "You don't want to be stuck inside alone with her, we don't know what kind of resources she has in her own territory."

But Alek can see a look in her eyes- a look he's seen countless times in the bright blue eyes of his wife. It's the look of a girl who wants to be free from the expectations of her society.

And if that means bringing a prestigious Englishman up to her hotel room when her father obviously has secrets he wants to keep hidden, well, who is Alek to deny her her greatest wish?

He guides her into a spin, sending Barlow and Volger a reassuring glance when her back is turned, then catches Franziska in his arms again, dipping her backwards and giving her as wide a smile as he can muster.

"That sounds absolutely lovely."

* * *

They slip away from the crowd before the dance is even half over, and Alek manages one last assuring glance at his teammates before Franziska pulls him up the stairs to her suite.

He sees it almost immediately- the safe embedded in the wall of the hotel room, almost certainly the place where Herr von Schnauz is keeping the stolen plans.

" _Puis-je vous offrir quelque chose à boire?_ " the girl asks, already pouring a glass of wine.

Alek answers, " _Oui, s'il-vous-plaît_ ," almost absent-mindedly as he tries to make it look like he's admiring the room as a whole while actually focusing on the safe, trying to figure out how to convince her to give him the code.

Unsurprisingly (if he's being honest with himself), his thoughts turn to his wife. This girl actually reminds him quite a bit of Deryn, despite her jet black hair and warm brown eyes, her strong (even when fake) French accent, the fact that she and Alek are _gloriously_ the same height (which is both convenient for dancing and just plain gratifying), and of course her family's plans to destroy (or at least cause harm to) Darwinism and the British government.

But the little that Alek knows about Franziska and her family really _does_ remind Alek of his Mr. Sharp. Franziska's whole world was destroyed after the Great War. Surely, she sees this move to England as an escape, no matter her father's intentions.

Alek saw the look in her eyes. He doesn't believe she means any harm.

Suddenly, Franziska is behind him, a hand on his shoulder turning him to face her. He takes the wine glass she offers him and takes a sip, frowning when he notices the scared look in her eyes.

"Is something wrong, _mademoiselle_?" he asks her.

" _Non_ ," she assures him, managing a smile. "I'm just… very sorry, _monsieur_."

Alek's frown deepens. He tries to ask what she's sorry for, but his head is suddenly too fuzzy to form the words. The wine glass falls from his fingers, thumping against the carpet. Alek stumbles backwards, watching the spilled wine seep into the carpet like blood. Franziska's hand on his arm keeps him from falling but his head is still spinning, the taste of wine at the back of his throat suddenly much too sweet.

Whatever she put in his drink isn't the same drug Volger and Klopp subdued him with all those years ago, but it has the same effects.

Before he knows what's happening, Alek is staring at the ceiling, his vision blurry.

Franziska's face appears above him, her eyes confident but sympathetic.

"I really am sorry, _Aleksandar_ ," she pronounces, her accent now undoubtedly _German_ , as she pulls the communication fabrication out of Alek's ear and crushes it between her fingers. " _Heil Deutschland_."

Everything goes black.

* * *

 **A/N: So there's the first chapter! I hope you all liked it. Next chapter will be up next Sunday if it kills me. Please review!**

 **Translations:**

 _ **Puis-je couper en?-**_ **May I cut in?**

 _ **Je ne crois pas que nous avons rencontré avant.-**_ **I don't believe we've met before.**

 _ **Je m'appelle Elisabeth Devereaux.-**_ **My name is Elisabeth Devereaux.**

 _ **Mademoiselle-**_ **Miss**

 _ **Je regrette, Monsieur Alexander. Mais mon père ne voulait pas me quitter l'hôtel sans lui**_ **.- I'm sorry, Mr. Alexander. But my father doesn't like me to leave the hotel without him.**

 _ **Ce que tu-**_ **What are you-**

 _ **Puis-je vous offrir quelque chose à boire?-**_ **May I offer you something to drink?**

 _ **Oui, s'il-vous-plaît**_ **\- Yes, please.**

 _ **Non**_ **\- No.**

 _ **Heil Deutschland**_ **\- Hail Germany.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hi friends! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed. Here's the next chapter, we hope you like it! Please review!**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Leviathan.**

Chapter Two

Deryn Hohenberg's work is far from boring. Serving as the bodyguard to one of Britain's key assets in the Great War has led to many exciting adventures along the way. She often finds herself right in the thick of whatever action happens to be occurring, and she enjoys every minute of it. Having her husband by her side only adds to her love of her job. However, every coin has two sides, and on this particular evening Deryn has not ended heads up as she finds herself tucked behind a curtain in a barking fancy hotel, watching as a pretty German spy leads her husband away to heaven knows what.

"This wasn't the plan," she mutters, throwing some emphasis into the statement with a sampling of the rather extensive and colorful vocabulary that had also come with her adventures.

"Language," Dr. Barlow scolds through the communication beastie nestled in her ear. "You are a lady, please behave as such."

Deryn frowns at the reminder, but ignores the reprimand. "He's been quiet for over a minute. Something's gone wrong."

Barlow is silent for a second. "Perhaps he removed the communicator, so as not to be betrayed by...roaming fingers."

"He's NOT kissing that girl," Deryn says hotly, pushing away the unwelcome mental images that come with that statement. "He's in trouble."

"If you go bursting in and you are wrong, then our whole situation is compromised," Barlow reminds.

Bovril, who until that point has been silently perched on Deryn's shoulder, now chimes in, launching an enthusiastic round of kissing noises into her ear.

"That settles it." Before Dr. Barlow can say anything, Deryn has abandoned her hiding spot and is slipping back into the crowd gathered in the ballroom.

"As perspicacious as Bovril is, the lorises were not designed to have mission input," Barlow protests, but Deryn is determined. It's bad enough that they had to be separated for this mission, she is not going to sit idly by and let another girl snog her husband. She moves swiftly around the edges of the room, avoiding groups of people making small talk and drinking champagne before ducking into the hall that led to the staircase. She climbs the stairs swiftly, but taking care to remain graceful as she's still in sight. It won't do to call extra attention to herself. She follows the path she had watched her husband take earlier, down the hall to the suite of the spy. Pressing her ear to the door, she listens for a second. Nothing. Trying the knob, she finds to her surprise that it's not locked, and she slowly eases it open.

A draft curls around her ankles as she observes the room, seeing to her horror the spilled wine glass, marks in the plush carpet where something or someone had been dragged, and the open window letting the night air of London seep in.

She dashes to the sill, looking down just in time to see the girl from the ball duck into a car waiting below. Deryn pulls her gun from a concealed pocket in her dress, but hesitates in taking aim. If Alek is in that car, she can't shoot for fear of hitting him. In the time that she waits, the car pulls away, speeding off down the road into the darkness. In a rush, Deryn swings one leg over the windowsill, looking down and trying to calculate her three-story descent, when suddenly a voice comes sharp from behind her.

"Deryn, do not even think about it!" Count Volger strides into the room, Dr. Barlow close behind.

"They're escaping, I have to go after him!" Deryn says, determined, and swings her other leg over the sill, standing on a small ledge built into the architecture of the building.

Volger grasps her arm. "It's not safe. You are not the only one at risk anymore!"

And with that reminder, Deryn's heart sinks, as she looks down at the reason that her assignment tonight had been to stay out of sight. Underneath her gown, only just beginning to be visible to those who don't already know, is the gentle swell of her belly. She is not the only one at risk anymore. She has her child to think about. Slowly, she climbs back into the room.

Barlow surveys the chaos of the scene, a frown upon her face.

Volger releases his grip, moving over to the safe set in the wall. Deryn joins him, letting Bovril examine the mechanism. With a few twists of the tumblers, the wee beastie has the safe open, the door swinging open to reveal the very plans they had come to recover.

"I don't understand," Deryn says, taking the plans out and looking them over before passing them to Barlow. "They left the plans behind."

"Perhaps it wasn't the plans that they were after," Volger suggests. "It seems we have been led into a trap."

Deryn looks to Barlow, feeling a little light headed. "Alek's been kidnapped."

"It would appear that way, yes." Barlow reaches up and adjusts her bowler, looking deep in thought.

"What now?" Deryn asks, trying and failing to not sound desperate.

She takes a moment to respond. "Now," she says at last, "We retire to my home for a cup of tea."

Deryn draws her coat closer around her as she traverses the dark streets of London later that night. She had been most unhelpful at Dr. Barlow's, unable to think of any useful plans due to her worry over her husband. After her third cup of tea and repeated requests to "Stop pacing, _please_ ," she had decided to return to the small flat she and Alek keep not far from the Society's zoo.

She draws the key from her pocket as she reaches the front door, fumbling in the poor light cast by a glow worm lamp on the street corner. Her emotions are all in a muddle and her thoughts are cloudy as she climbs the stairs to their rooms, feeling almost ready to collapse. Her aunties would have called her a bundle of nerves. Deryn feels more like an air balloon with no wind.

Letting herself in, she immediately heads for the kitchen, letting Bovril down to the floor as she goes. The loris had been oddly quiet since they left the hotel, but Deryn is chalking it up to missing Alek. It had always been especially fond of its prince.

Shedding her coat, she searches through the cupboards, finally finding a mostly empty bottle of wine. She pours herself a small glass, raising it to her lips before remembering that she's pregnant. A sudden wave of anger sweeps over her, and she throws the glass down where it shatters on the floor, its contents splattering onto the wooden boards. She stands there for a minute, watching it seep into the floor, thinking back to earlier that evening and the other glass of spilled wine. Her hand creeps absently to her stomach, and she draws in a sharp breath, turning and hurrying out of the kitchen. She storms into their bedroom, grabbing the quilt that her aunties had made them as a wedding gift off the bed, and without retrieving her coat from the kitchen, leaves the flat and heads to the roof. She finds a smokestack that is still warm from a fire, and plops down beside it, pulling the blanket around her. She sits like that for a while, watching in the distance the airships moored at the airfield. Her hand again wanders to her stomach, and with that, the dam breaks.

She is sodding useless, pregnant. She and Alek had been so excited at first, to learn that they were expecting. Alek had taken to singing lullabies in German to her stomach, convinced for some reason that the baby could hear, and her mother and aunties had begun to sew clothes for the wee one. She herself had also been excited, but had been slightly more concerned with remaining focussed on her work.

Her mission tonight, as always, had been to protect Dr. Barlow, and she always files her husband under that umbrella as well. After all, he is Barlow's chief assistant, and though he's perfectly able to take care of himself on most occasions, he sometimes fails to grasp the shadier aspects of his job as a result of his princely upbringing. On those occasions, it sometimes means that she has to step in.

Tonight though, she had failed. Her husband is gone, kidnapped by a barking beautiful spy, and Dr. Barlow doesn't seem to have a plan, having not expected a trap.

Deryn leans her head against the chimney stack, feeling its heat against her cheek, and closes her eyes, trying to ignore the tears trickling from them. So useless. Thanks to the baby.

" _Mr_. Sharp."

Something nudges her hand, and she opens her eyes to see that Bovril has joined her on the roof. She'd forgotten to bring him up with her.

"I'm going to be an awful mother," she informs the loris mournfully.

He climbs up on her huddled knees to look her straight in the eye. "Train."

"What?"

"Choo-choo," he trills, mimicking a train whistle. "Train."

It's then that she notices that the beastie has something clasped in one of his paws. He offers it up when asked, and Deryn smooths it out, unrolling it to discover what looks like a receipt of payment for three train tickets to Norwich.

"That's up north," she mutters. "Near the coast. Where did you find this?" she asks Bovril, who is looking rather pleased with himself.

"Hotel. _'Put it in the wastebin,'_ " he mimics in Dr. Barlow's voice.

Deryn's heart beats fast. If they're heading to the coast, that might mean that they're planning to leave the country.

Grasping the paper in her fist, she labors to her feet, pulling the quilt around her shoulders like a cape and stooping back down to scoop up Bovril.

"Come along beastie. Time to go back to Dr. Barlow's. We'll have to move quickly if we're to get him back."

With that, she flies down the stairs, sense of direction restored for the time being.

 **A/N: Hope you liked it! Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I'm updating so late, I've had a couple of crazy weeks. After this, I'll do my best to go back to updating every Sunday.**

 **Hope you like this chapter. Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed. Please do so again! :D**

 **Disclaimer: Meh.**

Chapter Three

Alek wakes up to darkness, pain, and the rumble of a train.

He drags himself out of the drugged haze clouding his thoughts and forces himself to acknowledge his surroundings and figure out what happened and where he is.

Dr. Barlow's words echo in the back of his mind- advice from his earliest training that he never thought he'd need- _Assess the situation. Figure out your advantages. Don't let your enemies know you have the upper hand._

As his senses start to come back to him, Alek recognizes the feeling of fabric in his mouth and over his eyes. He's lying on the floor, as far as he can tell, of what feels like the car of a freight train. Besides the half-expected pain in his head from hitting the hotel room floor (carpeted or not, those things could hurt like hell if you fell the wrong way), there's also a distant throb in his right leg that he's afraid will hurt a lot more if he moves it, as well as a sharp pain in his wrists, from the too-tight ropes binding his hands together.

Fairly professional kidnapping, then, he surmises. Professional enough to use a drug that would knock him out long enough to get him on a train, anyway. Professional enough not to use a passenger train, so that no one would ask questions. Professional enough to immobilize him in any way possible, even if it meant purposefully breaking his leg (which at this point he's fairly sure has happened).

Professional enough to make it impossible for him to escape.

Alek listens hard, trying to sense any signs of there being someone in the car with him, but the only sounds around him are the rumble of the train and his own breathing. No other breaths, voices, or footsteps- nothing to signify another person's presence.

Still, Alek sits up as slowly as possible, just in case. He feels for any other injuries, taking care not to jostle his leg too much in case it really is broken- it sends out a sharp pain anyway and he winces, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood in order to keep from crying out.

Definitely a broken leg, then. No other injuries save for the cuts on his wrists, as far as he can tell, and no obvious signs of a concussion, but he won't know for sure until he gets the blindfold off.

He feels behind his back and finds the wall of the train car, carefully scooting backwards so that he's leaning against it. If anyone comes in, it'll be obvious that he's awake, but hopefully his captors won't be able to see him pulling forcefully at the ropes, trying to stretch them out enough to slip his hands through.

It's slow going, considering the last of the drugs in his system are still dulling his reflexes, not to mention his basic instincts telling him not to worsen his rope burn with every moment.

He can't see no matter what, but he closes his eyes anyway, and focuses on the mental image of his beautiful wife as he forces himself to keep going.

Deryn must be worried sick. Although, though he's never told her, this isn't Alek's first kidnapping.

He's _going_ to get out of here, whatever it takes.

* * *

At least an hour later, the car door slides open.

Alek freezes, his scraped wrists protesting as he shoves them back into the looped ropes he had just escaped from.

Whoever's at the door either doesn't see him or just doesn't notice the fact that he's moved since they left him there, because they don't say anything- still, Alek can hear their harsh breathing and hesitant footsteps as they slowly approach him.

Despite his years of training, he's in pain, and exhausted, and his brain is still fuzzy from whatever they drugged him with; instincts take over and he holds his breath, trying to stay as still as possible, save for the way he's already slumped down against the wall.

He forgets the very first words Volger said to him the night his parents died:

" _When pretending to be asleep, it is advisable not to hold one's breath_."

The footsteps speed up until Alek can sense another person in front of him, frantically reaching around to untie his blindfold. Alek keeps his eyes closed. But light still filters through his eyelids.

Meaning it's light outside the train car, since he highly doubts the Germans would put him on a Darwinist train with glow worm lamps, and Clankers don't waste electriks on freight train cars.

Meaning it's morning.

He only dares to hope he hasn't been gone so long that Deryn's assumed him dead.

He dares to hope it's not too late to get home to her.

Alek jolts back into reality as, just as his lungs are starting to burn, the gag is ripped out of his mouth, cold hands grab his cheeks, and he's forced to gasp, dragging air into his lungs hard enough that it makes him couch. His level of consciousness is obvious now, but the hands on his face feel gentle and soft, almost familiar. He's honestly not sure if he should be worried.

" _Gott sei Dank,_ " Franziska whispers, as Alek slowly, hesitantly opens his eyes. Her face is inches from his, her dark eyes wide and glassy. " _Ich dachte, wir falsch berechnet würden. Ich… Ich dachte, ich sie getötet hatte_."

There's a bruise under her eye that Alek has to force himself not to be worried about because she's still got that look in her eye of _I'm being evil against my will,_ I _didn't want to kidnap you, and I'm genuinely sorry that someone did._

Alek has to resist the urge to take her hands to prove he's really all right, reminding himself that his hands are supposedly tied.

" _Ich bin nicht tot_ ," he says softly, his voice rough. " _Mach dir keine Sorgen, Frauline. Ich bin sehr viel nicht tot._ "

She sighs in relief and sits back on her heels, pulling her hands away. Alek's cheeks feel unnaturally warm where her cold hands once touched them.

" _Aber Sie verletzt sind, nicht wahr?_ " Franziska asks apologetically. " _Er hat sie verletzt?"_

It takes Alek longer than he's proud of to respond. He hasn't spoken German conversationally in years, and feels slightly weird doing it now, considering this girl's English is so good.

"Nothing that can't be easily fixed," he assures her. At her shocked look at his language switch, he sighs. "Sorry, I... I've gotten so used to English, and I've still got a bit of a headache."

"Yes, of course," Franziska apologizes. "I'm sorry, Aleksandar. I didn't mean for it to go this far."

"Call me Alek," he requests. "Franziska, I don't believe you ever wanted to hurt me."

She blushes, looking down at her lap. "My father told me we were just going to keep you in the hotel until you woke up, and move you only once you'd agreed to cooperate," she confesses. "We didn't know you had back-up- once Father figured out what that… _Abomination_ you had in your ear was, we had to move, and we had to move quickly, before your… _Friends_ showed up. I'm afraid his men weren't very gentle on the way out."

Alek winces at the idea of his team coming into that suite, only to see him gone, and what might have seemed like blood, at first sight, on the carpet. He can't even fathom the idea of Deryn thinking he were dead.

"Can you tell me what your father has planned for me?" He asks, telling himself to focus on the things he has control over, instead of worrying about the things he doesn't. "What did he want with those fabrication plans?"

Franziska glances behind her, making sure no one's outside to hear them, then leans in close to him conspiratorially. "It was never about the plans," she whispers. "We left them in the hotel, let your Darwinist friends find them."

Alek frowns. "Then why steal them in the first place?"

"As bait for you," she answers, as if it's obvious. "We knew you were working with the British scientists and thought there was a good chance you'd come after them- especially once we held that ball, inviting all the upper-class men and women in Europe- although, honestly, we didn't expect you to bother going undercover."

Alek shrugs. "I'm not exactly upper-class anymore," he reminds her. "But what did you- what did your _father_ even want from me? I have no station anymore- no relation to government- Clanker _or_ Darwinist- and I'm not exactly high up on the chain of command at the Society- I couldn't tell you any of the boffins' secrets."

"No, but the Austrians remember you," Franziska says softly. "They know you as the prince who managed to escape before the world went to hell."

Alek frowns, the puzzle slowly piecing itself together in his head. "Franziska… What does your father want with me?'

She looks up at him, sheepish and apologetic.

"He wants to rebuild Germany- unite it with the remains of Austria-Hungary into one great world superpower, with you, under his control, on the throne."

 **A/N: Hope you liked it. Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys. Thanks to the two people who reviewed. I'm back on my regular updating track now so hopefully you guys will stick with me. Hope you like this. Please review!**

 **Disclaimer: We own nothing, except Franziska and Henry.**

Chapter Four

The night is peaceful. And then it is not.

Deryn sails through the air, lowering herself at high speed from the airship above. Her target snakes below her, its lights glowing faintly as it winds its way through the countryside. She slows her descent by squeezing the grip on her tether, and the rope hisses from the friction. Coming to a stop a few meters above the train, she tries to calculate the drop. It will be delicate, she knows, especially in the state she's in. She winces at the thought, but tries to shove it aside. She doesn't need a distraction like that right now.

The train is speeding away just under her feet now, the tip of her boots almost brushing the roof. She has a fabricated tree frog secretion on the bottoms of her shoes, that will latch on as soon as she touches the roof. The trick is to time it so that she doesn't break her ankles or fall down one of the gaps in between the cars. She takes a deep breath, counts to three, and drops, landing solidly on the roof of the train with a "thunk." She reflexively curls into a ball to protect her stomach, then unbuckles the sticky soles from her boots as she crawls to the end of the car. She makes her way gingerly over the connecter, and heads for the end of the train. Climbing down the ladder on the last car, she hangs on tight as the wind grabs at her clothes, trying to rip her away from her mission. She enters the car, which she finds empty, and pulls the ticket stubs out of her pocket. Seats 1, 2, and 4 in compartment 4, car... She sighs in exasperation. They're sitting at the very front of the train.

She tries to tidy herself up, but she is dressed for practicality, not fitting in on a train. Though trousers for women is beginning to be a fad, they are not widely accepted, and still cause attention to the wearer. Especially as tight as she wears them. (Something that Alek may or may not appreciate, but that's beside the point.) Right now, she has to be stealthy.

The first car is fine. Everyone is in their compartments, sleeping or talking or reading quietly. No one spares her more than a glance, and she moves quickly on. The second and third cars are much the same, and she starts to relax a little, when she opens the next door and finds herself thrust into a party.

Smoke billows thick around people's heads as both men and women talk, laugh, and sway to the music of a piano player in the corner, and the young man who stands nearby, singing along. She blinks, trying to process the scene, and then stumbles as a waiter almost runs into her.

"Pardon me, ma'am," he says. "Refreshment?"

She takes the glass offered to her, and he moves on, leaving her trapped in the corner. She tries to examine the room, but the smoke is making her a little sick, and she's having a hard time getting her bearings. There's a few young gentleman in the center of the car engaged in some sort of good-natured debate, and the noise levels have risen to a distracting level. Several young women seated nearby giggle at their antics, and the music continues on in the background, giving a busy canvas to this picture of chaos. Deryn begins to edge around the room, hugging the wall, trying to remain inconspicuous. She almost makes it too, until a wild gesticulation on behalf of one of the young men knocks her drink out of her hand and all over her clothes. A gasp escapes from the crowd as the glass shatters on the floor.

"Oh, my apologies, miss," the gentleman says, looking unsure as to what to do.

Deryn is frozen, unsure how to proceed with all eyes on her.

"Never mind, I'm sure it was an accident," a voice says from behind her, and she turns to find that the singer has left his post. He takes her elbow and nods to one of the waiters. "I'll escort the lady to go clean up if you will see to this mess."

With one last apology from the young man, Deryn allows herself to be drawn to the end of the car, and whisked away to the next. With the smoke no longer clouding her brain, she gently pulls away, stopping and turning to face her rescuer. "Thank you. I can find my way from here."

"Is that so?" he asks, shooting her a smile and leaning against the wall. "Which car are you in?"

"One," she tells him firmly.

"Oh, and which compartment?"

She frowns. "Four, however that's none of your business." She turns to leave, but her catches her arm.

"Oh, I'm sorry miss, but I'm afraid that's not true. You see, I've already been up and down this whole train tonight, and that compartment has been empty since London. Not to mention I haven't seen you at all till just now. And what's a lady in your condition-" he nods to her middle and she flushes- "Doing appearing on trains in the middle of the night? You're either a stowaway, or you're searching for someone. And if it's the latter, why, I'd be honored to offer my assistance."

Crossing her arms, Deryn stares up at him. "Your offer is appreciated, however you are mistaken," she informs him cooly. "Now I'm sure your audience is waiting, you would do well to get back to them."

"Oh, drop the act," he tells her, straightening up. "I can see right through that accent of yours. I can assure you, I mean no harm. I'm only curious."

"Well you can just barking take your curiosity, and-"

"I'm Henry. You are?"

"Walking away," she informs him, and does so. She makes it almost to the end of the car before he says something that stops him in her tracks.

"Sharp!"

She turns slowly as he snaps his fingers. "That's right, Jaspert had a sister, didn't he? He didn't say how pretty she was though." He shoots her a casual smile, a bit smug now.

"You know Jaspert?"

"We served on the same ship," he explained. "I could spot the resemblance, but it was the mannerisms that sold it. You both look at your fingernails when trying to be nonchalant."

Deryn blinks.

"And oh, how that boy talked about you! Listing in the service, earning a medal and all, and then taking up with a Clanker prince! Well, he didn't like that part so much, but he was very proud of the rest," Henry explains.

"I had no idea he talked so much," Deryn admits, making a mental note to punch her brother the next time she saw him. He had never been one for keeping secrets, but this took it to a whole new level.

"But anyway, whoever you were looking for in compartment 4 is long gone," Henry says. "It was reserved all right, but they never showed up."

"What? But, the tickets! I have the receipts…" Deryn trails off as the realization of the depth of this ruse sinks in. They had been meant to find the tickets. It was all part of the German spy's plan. To send her on a wild-goose chase, in order to have time to smuggle Alek away. She sways on the spot, and Henry catches her arm to steady her.

"Whoa there, are you alright? Perhaps we should find you a place to rest. I suppose compartment 4 is open, huh?" He continues to chatter as he leads her through the cars, and her heart breaks a little with each step, because each one is only leading her further away from her husband.

And so it is, secreted away in the empty compartment, that she comes to the conclusion that they have reached the time for drastic measures.

* * *

Volger is there to greet her when she steps off the train at the London station, along with, to her surprise, Bovril. She had left the Loris at Dr. Barlow's when she sneaked off to rescue her husband, and had expected to find him there. But here he is, perched on the shoulder of the Wildcount, through neither look thrilled with the situation.

"Deryn Marie Hohenburg!" Volger booms, taking her bags from her. "What on earth were you thinking?"

" _Baby_ , Mr. Sharp!" Bovril scolds.

"Indeed," the count agrees. "The little one, your own health, the fact that you didn't have backup, not to mention you didn't even tell us where you were going-"

"- _Had me worried sick!"_ Bovril added, mimicking Alek.

Deryn winces. "I'm sorry," she says, looking down at her stomach. "It's just-we were sitting around doing _nothing_ -and I need him." Tears come to her eyes, and she looks up at Volger, who has a very odd expression on his face. He stops walking, so she does as well, and before she knows what's happening, the wildcount is giving her a hug. It is so unexpected that she doesn't even know what to do, and so just stands there, stunned. It only lasts a few seconds, and then he releases her, but Deryn knows that it means he understands. Also, that he cares about her, which is rather stunning in itself, but then he has scooped up the bags again and is continuing on, so she decides not to dwell on it. The look on Alek's face when she tells him Volger hugged her will be enough.

"When pigs fly," Bovril murmurs from his place back on her shoulder.

"No kidding," she says back.

"Come along now," Volger says over his shoulder. "We have much to discuss."

"What do you mean?" she asks, trotting to join him as he pulls open the door to a waiting car.

"I'm glad you asked, Deryn," says a voice from inside. Dr. Barlow leans forward. "Welcome back. I assume that between the Count and your loris, you have received a proper scolding, so I'll refrain. However while you were on that little adventure, we did a little sleuthing of our own."

Volger helps Deryn into the car, and she plops into a seat. "What did you find?"

"The man behind the kidnapping, for one. A powerful old military official by the name of Johann Von Schnauz. Austrian originally, but has traveled quite a bit. He is a great supporter of the idea of a unified Deutschland. His daughter was the spy at the party." Barlow hands Deryn a photograph, and she smoothes it out, examining the features of the man who has temporarily ruined her life.

"But what does he want with Alek?" Deryn asks.

"Don't you see?" Barlow replies. "Alek is the means to his goal."

"Are you saying he wants Alek to unite the countries?" Deryn hands the photo back.

Barlow takes it, looks it over, then stows it away, reaching up and adjusting her bowler. "That's exactly what I'm saying. He intends to create Kleindeutschland. And Alek is to be its Emperor."

 **A/N: Hope you liked it. Please review! See you next Sunday :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Hope you like this chapter, sorry it's a day late. Please review!**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own anything but our OCs.**

Chapter Five

This isn't his first kidnapping.

Alek's almost certain that Volger will assume he's forgotten, as it's not something he thinks about often, much less discusses with his old fencing tutor, but the vent has stayed fresh in Alek's mind for over a decade.

When he was six years old, before he knew about his father's plans to save his legacy, before many of those plans even _existed_ , a man made his way into the castle by sneaking into one of Mother's dinner parties, took Alek still asleep from his bed, and kept him hidden in the woods of Austria-Hungary for about a day and a half until Mother and Father paid the ransom and he was returned safely home.

It was hardly a traumatic experience for Alek. The man was fairly kind to him, if he remembers correctly, and once he got home again, his parents spoiled him sevenfold until they were convinced he'd forgotten the whole ordeal.

It's one of those events that Alek doesn't think of as much of a big deal, but others would, which is probably the only reason it's one of the few things about his life that he _hasn't_ told Deryn.

Days go by, and Alek finds himself wishing he'd told her. Maybe the knowledge that he's been through this before would make her worry a little less, and help her trust that he'll be all right.

Because after the initial rough handling, these men have been rather kind to him as well. He has yet to encounter Herr von Schnauz himself, but Franziska stays with him as much as she can, keeping her father's men away from him as they make their plans.

It takes them only a few days to reach the end of the island, and then Alek's being blindfolded again and led onto what Franziska tells him is a German airship, most likely headed for Berlin. When he's able to see again, he finds himself in a private stateroom, joltingly like his old one on the _Leviathan_ , sparsely furnished with a vanity and nightstand, as well as a bed to which he's chained with a length of metal a few meters long.

He's left alone at first, listening to the sounds of the guard who brought him here's footsteps retreating down the hallway. He tries the door, and finds it unsurprisingly locked so he goes back to sitting on the bed, thinking through his predicament and waiting for Franziska to find him.

He sits in silence like that for a moment before having an idea. He stands up and starts searching through the drawers of the vanity and nightstand.

Alek has to bit his lip to keep from cheering when he finds _exactly_ what he's looking for.

* * *

 _My dearest Deryn,_

 _I write this letter with hesitation, fearing that it will only serve as a waste of paper and an announcement of my knowledge of Schnauz's plans if I can't find a safe way to get it to you. and yet, I write with the hope of any chance that this might reach you and shorten our time apart._

 _The night of the Devereaux party, Franziska von Schnauz lured me into her hotel room and drugged me with a spiked glass of wine. Once I was unconscious, her father's men took me out of the hotel- and none too gently, I'll admit- and onto a cargo train they'd appropriated. I was hurt, but nothing fatal- the worst of it was my leg, but Franziska convinced her father's doctor to do all he could for me while we were still on the train. It's not completely healed yet, I don't think, but at least I can walk._

 _We're on an airship now. It reminds me of the Leviathan, but of course it's modeled more like a zeppelin, being German-made. Franziska says we're probably heading towards Berlin, and from there- if you can believe it, Deryn, because I hardly could- her father wants me to help him unite Germany with the remains of Austria-Hungary and stand as his puppet emperor in a new united_ Kleindeutschland _._

 _I won't know the exact plans until Franziska comes back- oh, and I forgot to mention, she's not on her father's side. She's been very kind to me and has promised to help me escape. I hope you and I will be able to convince Dr. Barlow to spare her from any punishment once we're all together again._

 _But anyway, once she comes back, I'll find out as much as I can about where we're going and what I'm to do there, and I'll pass on any information to you so Dr. Barlow and the count can be made aware of the situation._

 _But Deryn,_ liebe _, I must ask that you don't try to come after me. I trust Franziska- she and I will find a way to get me out of here, and then I'll meet up with you and the team as soon as possible. But I can't plan my escape if I'm spending all my time worrying about you. I'm sorry, Deryn. You know I would never try to keep you from your adventures, but if you truly care about me, you'll keep yourself and our baby safe._

 _I'll see you soon._ Ich liebe dich.

 _Alek_

* * *

Alek folds up the paper and buries it deep in his pocket, managing to get it out of sight just as the door clicks open.

"Franziska," Alek sighs in relief as she cautiously glances behind her before slipping inside. "Did you find out for sure where we're going?"

"Berlin," Franziska confirms. "Father wants to present his plan to the Reichstag first, show the Germans that you're on board."

Alek frowns. "Why Germany first? You'd think they'd be most willing to rebuild the empire."

Franziska shrugs. "My father worked primarily with the German government during the war, but our family's Austrian. He thinks that the people of Austria are a given, and that the old territories of Austria-Hungary will follow closely behind. In Father's mind, Germany's the only one that will actually need any convincing."

Alek nods, though he can only find the tiniest bit of sense in the plan. "And what does he expect me to do? The Germans hate me- they're the ones who orchestrated the death of my parents in the first place."

"And then lost the war because _you_ convinced the Americans to join on the side of the Darwinists," Franziska reminds him. "The Germans may hate you, but they also respect your power as a leader. All my father has to do is prove where your loyalties lie."

"Not with your father," Alek assures her, staring mournfully down at the non-fabricated wood floor.

It's a bit of a shock, the whole thing, he admits to himself. He'd grown up being told by his mother and father that he was a prince who'd one day be an emperor, and by everyone else (especially Count Volger) that he was an inheritance-less fool who would amount to nothing.

There'd been those five _glorious_ minutes of thinking he could wait out the war and come back to Austria a hero. And then a British airship had crashed in the Swiss Alps and turned his whole life upside-down.

And then five months of bumbling his way through a war his parents' deaths had started, messing things up and needing Deryn to save him (and she was always brilliant, and he will always love her, and he's most definitely _not_ bitter about the whole thing).

And now, to think, people seeing him as a leader, as an _emperor_ , smart enough and bare enough and strong enough to rebuild a country destroyed by post-war ruin. It's not like Von Schnauz is trying to destroy the world or anything, he just want Germany- and by extent, _Austria_ \- to be strong again. How can Alek deny his homeland the chance to be strong?

Just because Franziska's father _isn't_ a Darwinist, does that make him evil? Alek spent over half of his life believing that not being a Clanker made someone evil, and he'd quite obviously been wrong about _that_.

But then the image of his beloved Deryn- who risked her life thousands of times to protect what she believed in and defeat the Clankers- as well as their unborn child flashes in Alek's head, and suddenly his chest hurts and he's cursing himself for thinking for even a second that he could rule a new Germany.

He's a Darwinist now. And he _likes_ it that way.

Besides, he highly doubts the people of Kleindeutschland would allow his Darwinist wife to rule alongside him, much less let Bovril even cross the border.

Back to planning his escape then, he supposes.

"Speaking of which…" Franziska says, drawing Alek out of his thoughts. He looks up at her and she's glancing nervously at the stateroom door, fiddling with her hands in her lap. There's a bruise starting to swell on her left cheek that Alek hadn't noticed before, there to match the dark purple one under her eye from the first day on the train. Alek frowns, opening his mouth to ask her about it, but she's talking again before he can get a word out. "My father wants to meet with you," she tells him, piquing his interest. "As soon as we land. This airship is specially engineered to move faster than most, so we should be in Berlin by the end of the week."

"Wait." Alek sits up a little straighter, leaning forward and once against turning his attention to the bruises on the girl's face. He meets her gaze with what he hopes comes across as an intense look of concern. "Your father's not on the ship with us?"

Franziska's eyes widen marginally, and she gives a minimal shake of her head before tearing her gaze away from his and staring down at the floor, her cheeks pink. "He sent me to London with his guards and-... With his guards…" Alek raises an eyebrow at her correction, but let's her continue. "Father only left Vienna to meet us in Berlin."

Alek lets the silence hang in the air for a minute, hoping Franziska will be able to hear the unspoken question hanging in the air.

 _If your father's been in Vienna this whole time, then who's been hitting you?_

It seems like ages that neither of them speaks, that Franziska blushes furiously and avoids Alek's gaze, as Alek asks himself why he's even trying- he's not this girl's father. In fact he barely knows her, _and_ she drugged and helped kidnap him!

And yet he _hates_ seeing her so hurt and scared. It's been a long time since he's based his beliefs on Providence, but maybe this really is a test to see if he can be a good father.

Finally, Franziska looks up at him, self-consciously pressing a gentle hand to the bruise on her cheek.

"My father and my mother weren't married," she explains, and Alek almost regrets wanting to know because this is obviously an answer with a lot of backstory. "My father was born into a just barely noble family. He became a general in the Austrian army at eighteen and married a minor Hungarian princess when he was twenty-one- one of your distant cousins, I'm sure. Technically, the marriage was advantageous for both of them, but it was obvious his wife didn't like being married to someone economically below her. They didn't love each other. My father suffered through the marriage for ten years before he gave up on trying to be a good husband and started an affair with his wife's lady-in-waiting- my mother."

Alek's eyebrows raise of their own accord in poorly hidden surprise. Franziska blushes again, looking away from him, but he places a hand over hers to let her know it's okay.

"In those ten years, they'd had a son," she continues. "And after my mother died and Father took me in as his legitimate daughter, it was clear he favored me over his wife's son. Now, Rolf is the head of Father's guard. He accompanied me to London, he's been passing on my orders from our father. He doesn't like me, and he doesn't like that I like you, so when I tried to defend you, he…" She gestures to her face, and Alek nods somberly. "I think he's upset that Father's building a new country and not putting him on the throne."

Alek squeezes the hand he's still holding reassuringly. "Thank you for telling me all that. When I get back to London, my friends can help give him the punishment he deserves. And spare your father, if that's what you wish."

Franziska shrugs. "I don't agree with my father's plans- I think Germany is big enough as it is, and that trying to build it up again will only lead to more war. But he would never hurt me. And I do not wish to see him hurt either."

Alek nods. "Well, all right, then. I'll see to it that he's not harmed. Now, is there a way I can get this letter to my team?" He pulls the folded paper out of his pocket.

Franziska frowns. "Not before we get to Berlin. Rolf will see anything that leaves the ship."

Alek nods, his heart sinking, but he confines himself to just a few more days without Deryn knowing that he's safe, and prays that she won't get into any trouble before he's able to reach her.

"All right," he tells Franziska, shoving the letter back into his pocket. "Let's hope we soon get to Berlin, then."

* * *

Weeks pass. They make it to Berlin within just a few days, but Alek is tied up and blindfolded again as he's half-dragged off the airship and into a taxi walker that takes him to a fancy (he assumes; he can't see the outside) hotel, where he's then forced inside and unceremoniously dropped in a room with a deadbolt on the door and no windows. Franziska finds him and reluctantly explains that any mail goes through the hotel administration, and anything going to London will be shown to her brother. Alek finds himself really missing Darwinist carrier birds.

He meets with Herr Von Schnauz. The man is kind enough but stern. He honestly reminds Alek of Volger in the way he discusses his plans, but unlike Alek's old fencing tutor, Von Schnauz doesn't talk down to him like he's a child (which he's definitely not anymore; but military adults make him flash back to his war days, so that he comes to expect the contempt).

Von Schnauz's plan is just as Franziska described it- convince the German people to let him take over their military operations, invade the old Austro-Hungarian territories and declare them under German control, station Alek in his family castle in Prague, and let Von Schnauz rule over the new German Empire while Alek acts as his puppet.

Alek points out that this might lead to more war, but Von Schnauz is convinced the people will welcome the change.

Nothing happens for over a month. Von Schnauz tells Alek to rest, let his leg heal the rest of the way, enjoy the luxuries of upper-class Berlin. Alek keeps up his letters to Deryn like they're a diary, adding information as it comes to him, asking how she is, how the baby's doing, whether Dr. Barlow and Count Volger have given up on him yet, even though he knows she's likely to never respond. Things calm down between Franziska and Rolf now that they're with their father again, but Alek still has to resist the urge to punch Rolf in the face when Franziska first points him out to him.

He's been in Berlin for almost eight weeks when Von Schnauz takes him into the city to present their plan to the Reichstag.

On the downside, Alek is forced to say the words, "I would be honored to rule Kleindeustchland and reunite my people."

On the upside, he manages to slip his letters into a mailbox outside the hotel.

Once they're out of his hands, he starts to regret telling Deryn not to come after him. Because it's been two months, and Franziska has no idea how to get him out of there and back to London without her father finding out.

He returns to the hotel after the meeting, fakes a smile at Von Schnauz, assures him that he appreciates the hospitality and can't wait for the plan to take effect. The door closes as the man goes back to his own room, and as soon as he's out of sight, Alek sits on his bed, puts his head in his hands, and cries.

* * *

"Aleksandar?" Franziska's voice filters into his consciousness, breaking the silence previously filled only with his choking sobs. She rushes to his side and places a hesitant hand on his shoulder. "Aleksandar? _Bist du verletzt? Was ist los mit dir? Was ist passiert?"_

Alek's manages to control his tears long enough to gasp, " _Ich_ wirklich _vermisse meine Frau."_

It's been a while since they've spoken German to each other in private like this, but for some reason, here, now, his first language feels right.

" _Ich werde dich raus von hier,_ " Franziska whispers. " _Ich weiß nicht, wie. Aber ich werde. Ich verspreche."_

* * *

Franziska tries to keep her promise. She risks punishment to sneak out messages to the London Zoological Society. She convinces her father to stay in Germany for almost another month before moving them all to Austria. She tries to sneak Alek out night after night, but the guards are three times her size and friends with her brother and don't trust her as far as they can throw her.

Alek hasn't seen his wife and team in close to three months when Herr Von Schnauz gets impatient and announces they're leaving for Vienna now, no matter what anyone has to say about it.

He panics. He starts to give up. He lets himself be dragged down into the lobby, letting go of all hope of ever seeing his wife again. Of ever meeting his child.

And then the door bursts open, and Dr. Barlow, Count Volger, and a _very_ pregnant Deryn burst inside, guns blazing.

 **A/N: Hope you liked it. Please review! Next week I'll post the last chapter. Thanks to everyone for reading!**

 **German translations:**

 **Bist du verletzt? Was ist los mit dir? Was ist passiert?- Are you hurt? What's wrong? What happened?**

 **Ich wirklich vermisse meine Frau- I _really_ miss my wife.**

 **Ich werde dich raus von hier. Ich weib nicht, wie. Aber ich werde. Ich verspreche.- I'll get you out of here. I don't know how. But I will. I promise.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Here's the last chapter! I hope you all like it. Please review!**

* * *

Chapter Six

There are several perks to being eight months pregnant, Deryn has found. People always give up their seats for her. She has a perfectly legitimate excuse to burst into tears at the drop of a hat. And the doorman at a very fancy German hotel in which her husband is being held captive becomes so flustered that he doesn't protest when she, Dr. Barlow, and Count Volger enter with drawn weapons. Well, she has a gun anyway. Dr. Barlow believes herself to be above such a need, and Volger relies on his saber mostly.

Deryn reviews the plan in her mind as they enter into the foyer. It will have to be fast, as a source close to the General had confirmed that they were moving Alek to Vienna earlier than expected. This caused them to have to move up their retrieval by a couple weeks, but Deryn's not complaining. She'd much rather have her husband back sooner than later, especially with how soon the baby is coming.

They have a car waiting outside for them, driven by none other than Henry, who tracked Deryn down to return one of her gloves and decided that he would stay to help after observing Deryn try to retrieve something from the ground. She isn't quite certain of his intentions, but she wrote to Jaspert and he confirmed that Henry was an old friend, so for the time being, he remains a member of their team.

Dr. Barlow, leading the pack, stops short, and Deryn peers around her to see the issue, only to have her heart almost stop.

Three months, twelve days, and sixteen hours. That's how long it's been since she saw the love of her life stuffed in a car and driven away. And now he's here, standing only meters away, and her eyes lock onto his, and she wants nothing more than to rush over, but Count Volger reaches over and places a hand on her arm, keeping her in place.

Two men are placed on either side of the stationary ex-prince, with the spy flanking them. The guards are talking to another man in military dress, who has his back to Deryn. Alek seems to be the only one to have spotted them, but Deryn knows that he's about to give them away, simply from his poor acting skills. Indeed, even as she thinks it, the girl follows his slack-jawed gaze, and her eyes widen as she meets Deryn's eyes.

 _Franziska_ , Deryn remembers with a grimace. Though she had been ecstatic to receive any kind of communication from her missing husband, the amount of trust that he seemed to place in the German girl was irritating for her. Combined with his insistence to not be rescued, his letters had been enough to make her loudly announce to Bovril that she had married quite the dummkopf, something which the loris had taken great pleasure in repeating.

But now Franziska is looking around, and Deryn knows enough about scheming to tell that the spy is trying to come up with a plan for escape. But the soldiers on either side of Alek seem rather intent, and Deryn knows that the possibility of slipping away now are quite slim.

Dr. Barlow turns slightly toward her. "Miss Hohenburg," she says quietly. "I believe a distraction is in order."

Deryn is surprised for a second, then a grin spreads across her face. "I know just the thing," she replies.

"Oh sir, please help!"

The man jumps, spinning away from her as she lurches towards him, pulling him away from his conversation with Alek's guards. A look of confusion, then revulsion passes over him as he scans her up and down as he backs away, holding his hands up.

"Gnädige Frau, please" he says, but she continues to advance.

"Please, I need assistance!" she says. "Please, you're a fine strong soldier, and OHHHH!" She lets out a loud moan, and cradles her belly with one hand, stretching the other toward him. "Help!"

"Help her lay down!" Someone from the crowd calls, and reluctantly, the soldier takes a step in. She clutches at him when he draws near, pulling the fabric of his coat, and he tries to hold her steady by the elbow, but she twists away, moaning again.

He glances around, but no one is moving to help him, so he glares at his companions. "Don't just stand there, come help!" he says, and they move to help him lower her, writhing and moaning, to the floor.

"The baby is coming!" she gasps, clawing at the men on either side. "Summon a Doctor!"

She twists her head to the side only to see her husband being held back by Franziska as he attempts to make it to her side. She seems to be trying to tell him something, but she hears him shout her name before Volger materializes beside them. She has to look away again in another fake groan, but when she looks back, they are gone.

An old man pushes to the front of the crowd surrounding her then, and joins the soldiers at her side. "It's all right Frau," he tells her. "I'm a Doctor."

"She should be moved to a room," someone suggests, and Deryn scans the crowd until she catches Dr. Barlow's eye. The lady boffin gives her a slight nod, and Deryn knows that they are in the clear.

"Wait!" she says, breathing heavily but sitting up. "It's… it's stopping. I believe it was a false alarm!"

The crowd becomes disgruntled and disperses as the soldiers help her back to standing. "Thank you, young men," she tells them. "Especially you." She smiles at the first one, and he nods back, still looking rather disgusted. She turns away then, and heads for the exit as fast as she can go without looking suspicious.

"I'd like a cab please," she tells the doorman, who jumps upon seeing her again and rushes to do as asked.

"I must say, well done," says Dr. Barlow, coming to stand alongside her on the curbside. "That was quite the performance."

"Well, just practice for the real thing I imagine," Deryn smiles back.

The cab pulls up in front and Dr. Barlow enters first. The doorman is just helping Deryn up into the cab when she hears shouting from the hotel lobby, and as they pull away, she sees the soldiers burst into the street.

"To the airfield," Dr. Barlow instructs, and they wind their way into the Berlin night.

An airship is waiting upon their arrival, and Deryn is halfway up the ramp when she is attacked.

" _Deryn_!" Her husband's embrace is so tight, he almost knocks her back into Dr. Barlow behind her.

"Alek! You're alright!"

"Who cares! Are you alright? Is the baby fine?" he releases his hug, holding her at arm's length and looking her up and down, drinking in the sight of her.

"The baby's fine, it was just a distraction," she laughs. "I had you scared, didn't I?"

"Terrified," he smiles, and then pulls her in for a kiss.

"I realize this reunion is a joyful one, but I must insist that we continue it on the ship," Barlow says dryly. "We must depart with haste."

They break apart, however, Alek refuses to let her go, even once they enter the large cabin. Volger, Henry, and Franziska rise at their arrival, then sit when Dr. Barlow does as well. Ignoring decency, Alek draws Deryn down on his lap, putting his arms around her with his hands resting on her stomach, as the Doctor clears her throat for the debriefing.

"I must say, that went almost better than expected," she started. "Thanks to Miss Von Schnauz's observational skills and Mrs. Hohenburg's acting, we have completed our mission. Mr. Hohenburg, welcome back."

Alek squeezes Deryn tight as the others echo the welcome.

"My driving skills weren't half bad either," Henry throws in nonchalantly.

"I've always wanted to learn," Franziska says. "Maybe now I will get the chance, living in London."

Henry snaps his fingers. "Anita!"

She looks up at him, startled. "That's my cousin's name. Do you know her?"

"As a matter of fact I do," he says, shooting her a grin. "She sings like an angel, and if I remember right, she bragged about a cousin as well."

Franziska blushes. "I do sing a bit," she admits.

"Ever thought about performing?" he asks her.

"Who doesn't he know?" Deryn says to herself, but Alek hears and nuzzles her ear.

"I don't know who he knows, but I know that I need some alone time with you," he tells her.

She smiles, shifting in his lap to look at him. "I think that can be arranged."

"Mrs. Sharp!" Bovril exclaims, popping up at Alek's elbow and hugging his arm in a show of affection for its prince.

"Then again," Deryn says, looking at the loris, "Perhaps not."

* * *

Three weeks after the rescue, Deryn found herself with the opportunity to recreate what had quickly become known as the Berlin Hotel Distraction, however this time, there was a lot more pain. In her opinion though, the pain was made up for by the fact that instead of three enemy soldiers at her side, she had her husband to assist. The result was a beautiful baby boy.

"I would say that we should name him Franz, after your father, but…"

"He doesn't seem like a Franz," Alek finishes the thought. He reaches out a hand to stroke the head and soft hair of their son, as he feeds at Deryn's breast.

Deryn gently pulls the baby away, readjusting her nightgown before handing him off to Alek to burp.

Alek holds him up, staring in awe at his perfect little features. "How about Artemis, after your father?"

Deryn thinks that over, but shakes her head. "No, Jaspert already reserved that for his first son."

The baby lets out a burp, and with it makes a mess. Deryn laughs at the face Alek makes, but tugs him by the elbow back down onto the bed and cleans them both up.

"This would have been easier if you were a girl," she tells the baby as she wipes his chin.

"Nora or Lilit," Alek agrees.

They stop, and look at each other then.

"Zaven," Deryn says, and Alek nods.

"It's perfect. Welcome to the family, Zaven."

In response, Zaven yawns.

Deryn smiles at Alek. Perhaps parenthood won't be too scary after all. Not as long as they're together.


End file.
